[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Funny these rushes to my defense. Although I appreciate it. Maybe people do notice. I was only responding to Bulldog’s question. Not lamenting that nobody notices my efforts. I don’t really care. Sometimes I actually wish I didn’t love this sport so much.
I did a spin class today (gasp). Truly, it kicked my ass. Those cardio intervals. Gotta commit to something like that once a week. Running sprints or spin. Or some other torture. I really hate fabricated cardio.[/quote]
No one’s running to your defense. You seem more than capable of looking after yourself. We’re just pointing out our own observations.
Blech on the spin class. I don’t really do cardio. Maybe I should. Or not. It makes me sad to think about it. It was fun doing prowler relays last weekend with a group though because you’re kind of chasing each other and making fun and laughing. I could do that a lot.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
One of the number one things I hate about women is the inability to gracefully accept a compliment without self-denigration. In exasperation, I’ve actually said to friends after complimenting them and having them brush it off, “the correct response was thank you”.
[/quote]
Women aren’t the only ones who do that. I try to remain humble in all things, sometimes so much I once had a friend tell me verbatim…“Sometimes you need to STFU and accept a compliment”.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
175-lb. conventional DL. First time pulling singles since March. The weight was very manageable, but I’m not happy with my form. Hips rising first and hyperextension on the lockout. Don’t ask about the arm flapping. It’s just something I do.[/quote]
I think that looked nice. If it’s a heavy weight for you, your form won’t be spot on. It didn’t look bad to me. As for the flapping arms, I only recently discovered that I do finger twitches.[/quote]
I do the foot dance when doing deads and the ‘spaced out upper body rocking’ when I’m benching.
Rehab work today. Which means it’s really, really light weight because the goal is to work that tiny shoulder muscle that was reattached four+ months ago.
A) Lying DB Rear Delt
3/8/5
B) Lying DB Row Elbow Out
3/8/12.5
C) Lying DB Straight Back Pull
3/8/8
Flat Bench DB Alternating Arm
3/10/15
A) Standing Lateral Raise
8/5
6/5 couldn’t even eek out two sets of 8 with 5-lb. DBs
B) DB Military Press
2/8/5 These still hurt and feel totally unstable.
I left the gym feeling like I’d overworked my shoulder.
[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
I was just wondering. Because im the only male at are local Y that powerlifts.Plus one of the few that uses the power rack other then for arm curls. Needless to say im a oddity here. I cant imagine what its like as a women doing it where your at.[/quote]
Interesting that you mention this given the conversation about “relative strength” in your log.
Have you looked at my numbers lately? I’m small. I don’t lift that much. So I don’t tend to draw attention. No one looks at the 110-lb. woman squatting 135 lb. and thinks, “Wow, she’s strong.” But if I were a 165-lb. woman squatting 200 lb., everyone would be watching even though the strength-to-weight ratio is the same.
I am one of the only women in my gym who squats in the cage (some women squat in the smith). And it’s really rare to see other woman doing DLs, oly lifts, and GMs, all of which I regularly do. But whether anyone notices or cares, I have no idea.[/quote]
There’s a lot of different kind of strength. Your mental strength through your recovery is phenomenal. You have a will of iron.
I think anyone would notice a woman squatting 135 if just because she’s using the big wheels. That jump right there seems to separate a lot of people from the pack. I never thought anyone really noticed me either until I squatted at the gym last night facing out. Boy do people watch. You probably just never see it.
You probably compare yourself to other competitive lifters like I do and maybe aren’t all that impressed with yourself. I can pretty much guarantee you are noticed and people are impressed. Of course they’re also probably worried about how you’re wrecking your knees squatting past parallel too:)[/quote]
So. It was a squat day. Or supposed to be. I just had one of those days where I couldn’t do jack. I mean, embarrassingly so. And my inclination was to pack it up and storm off.
But I decided to be somewhat mature and focus on solutions. So I’m going to run a Smolov Jr. program starting tomorrow. Just three weeks. And I’ll make the weight jumps smaller than called for. At least it should help me remember how to squat again since I’ll be doing it constantly. And it should help me bust through some ridiculously low-level plateau.
I think of others who have backed off their numbers to work on form issues. And how I always admire people who are so sensible to do so. And thus my motivation to back it off and work back up again. Not usually my style, but it’s what I’m gonna do.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
So. It was a squat day. Or supposed to be. I just had one of those days where I couldn’t do jack. I mean, embarrassingly so. And my inclination was to pack it up and storm off.
But I decided to be somewhat mature and focus on solutions. So I’m going to run a Smolov Jr. program starting tomorrow. Just three weeks. And I’ll make the weight jumps smaller than called for. At least it should help me remember how to squat again since I’ll be doing it constantly. And it should help me bust through some ridiculously low-level plateau.
I think of others who have backed off their numbers to work on form issues. And how I always admire people who are so sensible to do so. And thus my motivation to back it off and work back up again. Not usually my style, but it’s what I’m gonna do. [/quote]
I know very little about Smolov. I’ll be following your progress.
you’ve had a break and I’m guessing your body dynamics have changed as a result of the injury and surgery. as you say - it makes sense to back off and find your groove again
Smolov? I can’t wait to follow this. I’ve always been drawn to Smolov the way mosquitos are drawn to lights but my tendency is to overdo things so I’ve stayed away. I bet it does well for you. Maybe I’ll see how it works for you and give it a whack.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
So. It was a squat day. Or supposed to be. I just had one of those days where I couldn’t do jack. I mean, embarrassingly so. And my inclination was to pack it up and storm off.
But I decided to be somewhat mature and focus on solutions. So I’m going to run a Smolov Jr. program starting tomorrow. Just three weeks. And I’ll make the weight jumps smaller than called for. At least it should help me remember how to squat again since I’ll be doing it constantly. And it should help me bust through some ridiculously low-level plateau.
I think of others who have backed off their numbers to work on form issues. And how I always admire people who are so sensible to do so. And thus my motivation to back it off and work back up again. Not usually my style, but it’s what I’m gonna do. [/quote]
The hardest thing to do is to stop comparing what you can do now to what you used to do then. I had brain surgery 3 years ago, and I’m still working on recovering my balance and form on all lifts. I was going to train for PL competitions then. Now I’m happy if I can walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m still not ready to post my log here. I get enough public humiliation when playing my bass.
Never, never, never, never lose hope or give up lifting, because of injury and rehab. I know how slow it can be, I’m a very impatient woman. Concentrate on the present and lift in the moment. If you can be just a little bit better today in the gym than you were yesterday, that is your victory. Stay strong in your head and your heart, and your body will follow as best it can.
as for squat re-hab, if Kimba and I are doing it then it has to be cool. no argument there.
Looking forward to read about somolov and how it does for you.
Thanks for the dose of perspective, Yo Momma. Really, I appreciate it. I actually got emotional reading your post. I just gotta get over the disappointment I’m experiencing right now at having lost so much strength and get real about how long it takes to come back. Last spring, I squatted 200 lb. (with crappy gear, but still). Yesterday, I fell on a single at 115 lb. Just fucking embarrassing, especially because it was way unexpected and my coach was there and I was planning to leave the bar on the pins but he just picked me up by my armpits with the bar on my back. Which for some reason made it all the more humiliating.
Anyway. I wish you would log, Yo Momma. I really find motivation in reading the logs of people who are working to overcome challenges, especially people who persevere in such situations.
So I started Smolov Jr. today. I dialed in my 1 RM for raw squat at 125 lb, which was somewhat of a wild ass guess. I’ll be doing no lower body accessory work or DLs for the next three weeks but plan to throw two upper body days into the mix each week.
Good squats, never be embarassed of what you’re lifting. Unless you’re surrround by members of the opposite sex whom you’re trying to impress and have a really bad wardrobe malfunction and simultaneously flatulate loudly at the bottom a heavy squat and dump the weights backwards. Then you should be embarassed.